JTC Farm Chicken Houses has started construction of a facility that will house up to 270,000 chickens. Legally, no wastewater permit is required for the operation. But local residents who live close to where the chicken farm is being built as well as the Ichetucknee Alliance have raised concerns about the possible increase on nitrate levels in the Floridan aquifer due to runoff from the chicken farm.

Although Marty Werts' Melrose farm has remained untouched by disease, the Florida citrus industry has faced devastating effects in the last decade due to citrus greening, citrus canker and declining sales. Even with $9.5 million allocated for citrus greening research by the Florida State Legislature between 2013 and 2014, all citrus trees are still dying faster than they are being replanted.

Columbia County residents are upset over the approval of a permit with the Suwannee River Water Management District to build 12 chicken houses near Fort White.

Lydia Romig was one day too early. She went to the new Publix in Alachua on Friday during her lunch break, hoping to pick up her favorite sausage-and-kale soup. Romig is just one eager customer of many who is excited about the new store. After much anticipation, the Publix will …

The Cade Museum held its ground-breaking ceremony Oct. 2 and is scheduled to open in 2017. The museum will celebrate the legacy of Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade, in the 50th anniversary of the sports drink.

Gainesville District 1 City Commissioner Charles Goston, Mayor Ed Braddy and other officials met recently to brainstorm ways to bring supermarkets and restaurants to East Gainesville. That area of town has only two full-service grocery stores, while West Gainesville has 24. Because of the dearth of supermarkets, East Gainesville has been labeled a "food desert," by the USDA.

Grocery stores continue to open in West Gainesville while store options in East Gainesville remain sparse. Parts of East Gainesville qualify as a food desert, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Different events on campus and around Gainesville were held to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Bruce Roberts, 42, helps Kaleb Roberts, 3, light a candle to honor the memories of the slain family. To remember Sarah Spirit and her six children who were killed by her father, Don Spirit, before he killed himself, the town of Bell will plant seven oak trees at Bell Elementary …